


By Design

by ddagent



Category: Game of Thrones (TV)
Genre: Alternate Universe - Modern Setting, And a bitch, But she's his step-sister, F/M, Interior Decorating, Post-Break Up
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-10-03
Updated: 2019-10-03
Packaged: 2020-11-22 22:37:42
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,700
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/20881817
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/ddagent/pseuds/ddagent
Summary: After the loss of his hand and the end of his relationship, Jaime is looking to make a change. Starting with a new apartment, decorated by Baratheon, Tyrell, and Brienne Tarth. For JB Week Day IV.





	By Design

**Author's Note:**

> Loosely inspired by Nikolaj's Architectural Digest video, this is for JB Week Day IV, prompt 'change'. I hope you enjoy!

After the loss of his hand – and the end of his relationship with his _dear _step-sister – Jaime felt like it was time for a change. A fresh wardrobe: gone were the crisp white shirts and three-button jackets Cersei liked to see him wear. A new car: perfectly equipped for a one-handed man who enjoyed the empty stretch on the King’s Road. New haircut (no more long hair; no more endless bottles of shampoo); new beard (he threw out all his razors the day after Cersei refused to touch him). The final touches to the _brand-new _Jaime Lannister was a new office (the Storm’s End branch, where he was taking the helm), and a new apartment in the Stormlands.

Jaime hesitated outside said penthouse. He hadn’t been inside since signing the paperwork; just left his decorators to it. Completion was a few weeks away, but with a spare afternoon, Jaime decided to see exactly where he would be spending the next phase of his life.

Stepping inside, he quickly caught the eye of the chief decorator, Renly Baratheon. “Jaime, we didn’t expect you.”

“Well, it is _my _apartment.” He closed the door behind him and took a few steps forward. “I just wanted to see how things were coming along.”

Renly bobbed his head. “Sure, sure. Let me get my partners, and we’ll walk you through what we have so far.”

Baratheon crossed over to the foot-to-ceiling windows dominating the left side of the penthouse. He bowed his head and muttered to two men: one with a mop of curly hair; the other platinum blond cut short. _Which one is Loras? _Jaime wondered. Renly operated his interior decorating business with his boyfriend, a fact that had deeply upset his elder brother, Robert Baratheon. Robert, who just happened to be married to Jaime’s step-sister and ex-lover.

Even in a fresh start there was some wiggle room for pettiness.

The three men, conversation concluded, joined Jaime as he lurked by his own front door. Renly’s smile was pinched as he introduced his business partners. “Jaime, this is Loras Tyrell, my partner – in more ways than one.” They shook hands. “And this is Brienne Tarth; she’s our procurement agent. Art, paint – whatever we need, she’ll track it down.”

It was only when Jaime reached over to shake the hand of the platinum blonde that Jaime could see that she was, in fact, a woman. Brienne Tarth was taller than both her business partners, although she was _barely _an inch higher than himself. Whilst Renly and Loras wore expensive suits as they looked at paint swatches and furniture guides, Brienne Tarth wore tight jeans and a black t-shirt covered in paint and dust. Broad shoulders, small breasts. Soft, pink lips that fell open when Jaime had been staring for _far _too long. Blue eyes that should be in a paint can rather than on a human woman. She was…_something._

“Jaime Lannister; the owner,” he said, shaking her hand.

“Brienne Tarth.” She shook without comment. He imagined she was used to people staring at her, as tall and singular as she was. “You have a beautiful space, here, Mister Lannister. I hope you’re happy with what we’ve done to it.”

“I’m sure I will be.”

Introductions over, Renly and Loras proceeded with the tour. When Jaime had first purchased the penthouse, it had been an empty space with nothing but white walls and hardwood floors. The man living area had now been painted a soft gold; the crimson chairs and chaises adding a splash of colour. On the arms of each were a carved lions head; Jaime suddenly reminded of the décor of Casterly Rock. The coffee table was glass, with gold filigree in the corners. There were two pictures either side of the television: a sketch of a knight, shaded lightly in red and gold; a black and white lion, it’s eyes a vivid green. Whilst Renly explained about the sliding doors leading onto the expansive balcony, Jaime stood firm in front of these drawings.

He’d have never chosen them for himself, but they were exquisite. “Where did you get these?”

“Estermont School of the Arts.” It was Brienne, rather than Loras or Renly, who answered him. Teeth tugged at the corner of her mouth; shoulders fixed in a firm line as she waited on his approval. Had she been told stories about the lion and his teeth? He was a lame lion, now, and she needn’t look so worried. “I commissioned both pieces from one of their final year students; I thought they’d suit the room. And you.”

“You were right.”

There was a handful of other pieces in the space: a busted knight’s helmet sitting atop a near-empty bookshelf; the only books being a handful of tales Jaime had read, and enjoyed, as a child. Gaudy lion bookends kept them upright. Two more pencil sketches hung on the walls: a blonde princess in a pink dress with her feet upon a bearskin rug; the Lannister ancestral sword in black and white, the only colour being the rubies in the hilt of Widow’s Wail. Back in King’s Landing, all his artwork had been expensive pieces that he’d neither picked, nor had brought him joy. These, _these _felt like him.

“If there’s anything you don’t like, Mister Lannister,” Loras began, glaring briefly at Brienne before softening towards Jaime. “I’m sure we can change it.”

“No, _no, _everything’s fine.” Jaime touched the sketch of the princess and the bear. He tapped the frame. “This isn’t the _Bear and the Maiden Fair, _is it? It’s from _The Knights of the Gemstones._”

Brienne nodded. “I remembered you won a first edition at an auction a few years ago. I tried myself, but I was grossly outbid.”

Jaime couldn’t even recall how much he’d paid for it. He remembered the argument with Cersei, and how he’d kept that book in a safety deposit box lest she destroy it in a fit of malice. _It’ll go on the bookshelf with the others, _he thought. So far, he was impressed. Next on the tour was the kitchen. 

State-of-the-art; also painted in pale gold. The lights hung low over the island; everything was sleek and modern. Except for the tacky magnets stuck to the refrigerator. Jaime laughed as he saw a cartoon Ser Duncan the Tall. He plucked it from the fridge. “I loved watching this show as a kid.”

“Me too.” Tarth again. Her eyes shone as she joined him on the other side of the kitchen. “I found the magnets at an estate sale, and a set of the original tumblers, too. If you don’t want them, I can take them off your hands. I’ve got all of them apart from Eggy.”

Jaime liked having more than one glass. More than one plate, and bowl, and set of cutlery. “I think you might have to get them at _my _estate sale, Ms Tarth.”

“_Anyway_—” Loras suddenly interceded, physically stepping between Jaime and Brienne. “The barstools are all lined with red vinyl, and the countertops are Norvos marble. Now, Mister Lannister, if you’d just like to follow me—”

The rest of the penthouse remained unfinished, but Jaime was treated to Renly and Loras’ vision of his final home. His bathroom had been remodelled to his exact specifications (walk-in-shower; a large claw foot tub) but was yet unpainted. _Soft gold _seemed to be the colour palette of choice, with Brienne suggesting rocks and even sand from his native Lannisport. Loras quickly hustled them onwards to the study (deep red with solid mahogany); then to the spare bedroom (minimalistic furniture with a giant lion mural). Finally, the master bedroom.

The back wall was covered in paint swatches in various shades of red. “No. Not in here.” His last bedroom had been doused in scarlet paint, and Jaime didn’t want a repeat of such a violent colour scheme. “No red in this room.”

Loras and Renly exchanged glances: clearly they had assumed that, being a Lannister, the red and gold motif would be a winner. Well, Jaime _was _a Lannister, but even he appreciated other colours. Thankfully, Brienne stepped forward as her partners huddled in a corner to discuss strategy. She simply held out a fan of colour charts. “We’re looking to start painting tomorrow; if you decide on a colour right now, I can get it mixed by end of business day.”

Jaime skimmed through the colours; lingering on a green that reminded him of the lion sketch in the main room. His hand stilled on a set of blues, one in particular. He held it up to the wall, but looked sideways at Brienne Tarth. _Huh. You really can get paint the exact same shade as her eyes. _They were such a striking blue, like deep ocean waters. Beautiful, calming. _Fresh. _He tapped at the paint swatch and handed it to her.

“This one. I want this one.” Brienne smirked, and he raised an eyebrow. “Something interesting?”

“Well, _yes. _All paint colours are given ridiculous names: elephant trunk, white walker, and so on. This blue…it’s known as _Tarth _blue.”

Jaime grinned. “_Well, _I would very much like Tarth in my bedroom.” Two pink spots appeared on Brienne’s cheeks; her bottom lip fumbling at his not-so-innocent double entendre. Oh, _this _could be fun. “You have an excellent eye, Ms Tarth. I’d like you to handle my account on your own, without their interference.”

“Mister Lannister, I’m not a decorator. I just find pieces of artwork; trinkets.”

“You’ve made this place feel like home.” Jaime simply shrugged. “Think about it.”

It was clear that Renly and Loras had no true understanding of the needs of their client. Jaime told them so on the balcony, offering a considerable sum for them to work on another project whilst Brienne handled his account solo. _Well_, with some help. It was time that Jaime began being an active participant in his life: he couldn’t just throw money at something and then live with the outcome. He wanted to decide on paint colours and furniture and pieces of artwork. And if that meant spending a great deal of one-on-one time with Brienne Tarth, well, _so be it. _


End file.
